Saturday was a really great day. Twenty women who 9 weeks earlier doubted that they would ever be able to do it crossed the finish line at their first 5K race. They came from all backgrounds and were varied in age, and they ran their hearts out at the Pasadena Fun Run. I cannot tell you the joy I felt to see their faces as they realized that yes, they actually did it!

On our first day together two months before, they all looked at me dubiously as I told them that week by week they would go from alternating small increments of running and walking to gradually increasing their running time to being able to run more than 30 minutes straight. They didn’t believe it, but somehow they trusted me and stuck with the program. I watched their confidence grow each time we met. That’s not to say there weren’t grumblings and the occasional complaint, but they let me cheer them on and proved that with a little determination, they could break through their limitations and reach their goal. They inspired me to no end.

Saturday was made even sweeter by the fact that a group of 8 women I had also been working with toward their first triathlon also made it to the finish line at the Pasadena reverse triathlon! Three of those 8 had completed my Couch to 5K program and had decided to take it to the next level. They were coached by Lori Christensen of viXen training, who coached me to my first Olympic distance triathlon and is currently working with me toward my first half ironman distance in May. Lori gave me the opportunity to shadow her while training her group of 8 and it was truly wonderful to watch them transform into triathletes. My personal goal is to become a certified triathlon coach, so this was an invaluable experience. I am so proud of all of these great women!